Fourteen NHS trusts to be investigated for having above average death rates

Fourteen NHS trusts are to be investigated over their high death rates.

There is concern that more than 3,000 patients die ‘unexpectedly’ across these trusts every year.

They are being investigated after a report last week revealed up to 1,200 patients may have died from neglect at the Mid Staffordshire trust.

The George Elliot Hospital NHS trust is one of nine more trusts to be investigated over higher than average death rates

Inspections were initially ordered at
five other trusts with high death rates: Colchester in Essex, Tameside
in Greater Manchester, Blackpool, Basildon and Thurrock in Essex, and
East Lancashire.

But another nine have now been added
to the list: North Cumbria, United Lincolnshire, George Eliot in
Warwickshire, Buckinghamshire Healthcare, Northern Lincolnshire and
Goole, the Dudley Group in the West Midlands, Sherwood Forest, Medway
in Kent, and Burton Hospitals.

The investigation will be run by the board's medical director, Sir Bruce Keogh.

The 14 trusts have been 'outliers' on the Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio (HSMR) for two years running.

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The SHMI compares the number of
patients who die following admission to hospital with the number who
would be expected to die. The data includes all deaths in hospital as well as deaths occurring 30 days after discharge.

Experts said that the indicator should
be seen as an 'early warning mechanism' so trusts can examine why their
score was higher than expected.

Last week Sir Bruce announced he would be investigating five trusts which were identified by the SHMI as having higher than expected death rates.

Tameside Hospital in Manchester is one of five hospitals already being investigated due to higher than expected death rates